World Animal Protection has launched a campaign where Dutch people can pledge never to ride an elephant again. Each time a name is added to the petition, a specially developed 3D printer prints a piece of a life-size elephant at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: the world's first-ever 3D print petition. A live stream of the printing progress is available at www.stapvandeolifantaf.nl.

For the project a special 3D printing installation was created using 5
Ultimaker 3D printers. The printers and print heads are flipped upside
down. This way they can print revolutionary high columns of more than
2.5 meters in height. Placed in parallel to each other and working in
sync, these printers can print the enormous elephant in a very short
period of time.

Says Van Tubergen, 3D designer: "It takes an ordinary 3D
printer months to print large objects, but by using five 3D printers
simultaneously and printing in 60 very high columns, we managed to
reduce printing time dramatically."

Everyone who pledges has
their name printed on the elephant with a special font -called Elephont-
which makes it look like elephant skin. Although only Dutch people can
pledge, everyone who visits Schiphol Airport can check out the 3D
printing installation and everyone can follow the progress of the
printing 24/7 through the live stream.

World Animal Protection
(previously known as WSPA) urges people not to ride elephants on their
holiday. Most of the captive elephants in the tourism industry have been
captured illegally from the wild. And elephant rides and shows cause
severe pain, stress and suffering for the animals.

Says Pascal de Smit,
director of World Animal Protection The Netherlands: "A petition in the
form of a life-size 3D printed elephant is a unique and innovative way
to draw attention to the cruelty inflicted on thousands of elephants in
the tourism industry. Every participant literally helps to build
awareness for elephant abuse."